Hospital

Okay! It’s not as bad as it sounds; what I mean is that I didn’t plan to go there. I went to the campus that day to see someone, but he wasn’t at his office. When I called him, he said he was at the health centre, so I went there to see him.

He was checking his blood pressure when I got there. As he stood up to leave, I passed a comment like, “I don’t remember the last time I did this.” That’s how they–the nurses, the person I went to see, the man who drives the ambulance–persuaded me to take my sit and check too. I agreed.

As the nurse tightened the cuff of the sphygmomanometer around my arm, I distracted myself from what she was doing by focusing on what was written on the the oxygen tank siting opposite me, deliberately becoming absent minded. I was jolted back to reality when she announced the readings, saying my blood pressure was low. (Whatever that means!) 😐

Different questions and opinions started flowing from the people there: How old are you? You are a young man; You don’t have much to think about. You are not married yet, so you are not worrying about anything. (Actually, the way someone there said it, you would think having a wife was an automatic blood pressure raiser.) 😂

Just then, the doctor walked in, and the nurse asked her if she should refer me to her. My heart began to pound almost loud enough for my ears to hear. Refer who? In all honesty, I was scared. I was scared, not because of injections but, because I was waiting for 31st of December so I could celebrate 9 years of NO tablets, syrups, or injections due to sickness; nine years–since I started counting–of enjoying divine healing… (That’s a testimony, actually). 🙌

Then she decided to take the readings again, just to be sure. This time, I was so afraid that the blood pressure they said was low before was now too high. They concluded that I should come back the following day.

When I got home later that day, I went straight for mom’s automatic blood pressure monitor that she kept in her wardrobe, put in new batteries and fired it up. I took my readings and they were normal. By the time I went back the following day, they said the readings were normal.

Now, this is where I’m going.

I was advised to come for checkup at least once a month. To me, that meant a doctor’s appointment on the 29th of every month. Although, my office is just a block away from the health centre, I had no intention of going for any checkup because if there’s anything I know medical people for, it is that they always have a ‘bad name’ for every feeling you have. (No offence intended) 😉

Well, January 29th came and I didn’t go for checkup. I was actually exhausted from accumulated stress, and one could even tell from my conspicuously pale face that I needed rest. Going for checkup could mean referral to the doctor, followed by the other things I didn’t want. So, I ditched checkup in January.

“When I have rested enough and I’m well, I’ll go,” I told myself.

I was glad 2017 isn’t a leap year, and so, no 29th of February. For me, that was an automatic no-checkup month… Or so I thought, until I got a memo one Monday like that, that we were expected to go for some medical tests and submit the report before the end of the week. When they hinge something like that on your salary, you’re left with no choice.

I guess you know the drill: among other things, there was peeing in a cup and giving some blood in the laboratory; reading from a mirror showing letters written backwards in a lighted box hung behind me at the optometrist’s; taking a photograph of my bare chest at the radiologist’s. (Don’t worry,I know what it’s called.) ☺

All that happened in February. Since then, I have always had one reason–cross that out, excuse–or the other why I couldn’t go for another checkup yet. The most prominent reason has been that I wanted to feel 100% alright at any checkup time, so that there would be no need to refer me to the doctor. That doesn’t look achievable just yet, until maybe when I retire. 😂

Another 29th of the month is coming, and as you may already be guessing, I’ll come up with an excuse why I shouldn’t go. There’s none yet but I’ll find one. Trust me. 😉

***

Like me, some people have been doing the same, but on a more DANGEROUS scale.

The Saviour has called them to come, but they want to be alright before they come. They want to put away the jewelries before they come. They want to turn a new leaf before they come. They want to buy the long skirts and turtlenecks before they come. They want to trim their nails and shave their beards before they come. They want to be outwardly righteous before they come. They want to be ‘good enough for Jesus’ before they come… Please tell them it is impossible! You can’t be good enough for Jesus on your own!

Let me tell you this story I read in one of A. W. Tozer’s books, ‘I Call It Heresy’. Here’s the way it appears in the book:

***

Paul Rader once told about the artist who had an idea for a powerful painting, depicting the plight of a tramp, a human derelict off the street.

He went to the Skid Row district and found just the subject he had in mind—a man who was dirty, disheveled, rundown at the heels, in rags, and completely at home among the disreputable elements of the city.

“I will pay you a fee if you will come to my studio tomorrow morning,” the artist told him.

The bum’s face brightened and his eyes took on a new light and he said, “You mean you want to put me in a picture?”

“Yes, I want to paint you into a picture and I will give you fifty dollars right now,” the artist said. “Just show up at my house tomorrow morning and I will tell you what to do.”

But when the artist’s doorbell rang the next morning, the painter hardly recognized the man who stood there. He had been shaved, he had on a white shirt and his pants had a reasonable facsimile of a press.

“I don’t want to come to your fine place looking like a bum, so I spent the money getting myself cleaned up and fixed up,” the man said with pride.

“But I cannot use you now for the painting I had in mind,” the artist told him. “I thought you would come just as you were.”

***

Jesus Himself put it this way, “They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Mark 2:17 KJV)

If you have been trying to heal yourself of your sins before coming to Jesus, you are putting the cart before the horse. The truth is: you can’t! Even if that were possible, you wouldn’t be needing Jesus anymore and neither would He be needing you, because He saves those who cannot save themselves, not those who think they can.

All your good works minus the grace of God are as filthy rags before God. If you are thinking that there is a scale in heaven that will measure your good works against your bad works, and qualify you for heaven if your good works exceed the bad: a big fat NO to that! You qualify for heaven by coming to Jesus and allowing Him to save you. It is after He has saved you that you get empowered to do good works that can count in heaven.

And when you decide to come to Jesus, COME JUST AS YOU ARE. You can come with your heavy load sin, but come in humble repentance. Jesus said, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37 KJV) Jesus will not reject anyone who comes.

A songwriter puts it this way:

Come: and He will give you rest;

Trust Him, for His word is plain;

He will take the sinful-est;

Christ receiveth sinful men.

You can’t be too bad for Jesus to save. The Bible assures that “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” (Romans 5:20 KJV). See the wonderful way one hymnist passes across the same message:

Marvellous grace of our loving Lord,

Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt,

Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,

There where the blood of the Lamb was spilled.

Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sins.

Your sins can NEVER be greater than His grace, no matter how big you think they are. Stop trying to be free from sin before coming to Jesus; He will give you the power for that when you come. If you have come before, but have wondered far away from home, the Saviour waits today with open arms to receive His prodigal.

Do you want to come to Jesus today? Take this hymn as a prayer, as it was probably written for those who would come on a day like this:

Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am–poor, wretched, blind–
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need, in Thee I find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.”

***

If after reading this, you have decided to come to Jesus, I would like to hear from you. You can send me a message on +234-703-268-8038 (text or WhatsApp) to let me know your decision so that I can keep on praying for you.

As soon as we finished our final exams and convocation, Tayo applied to Firewall Engineering Company where he had his internship and was employed as a Graduate Trainee. Two months into the job, he was sponsored abroad for a 4-month training.

Mrs Okafor, after her maternity leave, resumed back to work with a promotion letter. She became the new Director of the Youth Counselling Centre after Dr Andrews retired. Though most of her duties were administrative yet she continued to influence and transform lives of young people around her. She took personal interest in cases of young people suffering from depression and various types of addiction.

Life literally flung us in different directions. Tolani didn’t allow being a single mother to hinder her from furthering her studies. She applied for and won a scholarship to run her Masters’ Degree overseas. When the challenge of caring for Ben came up, Maria, on hearing the news through Tayo, offered to take care of Benjamin in Tolani’s absence. Continue reading →

“I’m not very good at story telling but I’ll try.” Tayo started, taking the centre position in the living room as we circled around him to listen. “It all started during one Sunday service in my second year; it was as if a sudden realization of Maria dawned on me. She had being in the fellowship all along and she’d being an usher too, but it was as if I was noticing her for the first time that Sunday. Honestly, it was difficult for me to concentrate on the remaining part of the service to the point that I had to caution myself and refocus on the preaching.

“The service ended that day and I went home thinking the feeling would go away. In unexplainable terms, my heart started yearning to see her again. I anticipated the next service more than my next meal. When I took it to God in prayer, I could almost feel the Holy Spirit sit beside me and was reading a recommendation letter about her to me. The more I tried not to think about her, the more I found myself thinking about her. My eyes began to open to certain things about her, like her dedication to God’s service, her love for orderliness, and her charming personality. Continue reading →

I spent the greater part of the almost journey daydreaming again, since I wasn’t ready to share my cogitations with anyone. It seemed the road stretched longer than normal. The afternoon sun beating hard on the bus made the heat unbearable yet I managed to keep a radiant face as I listened to those who had things to say. As if in a conspiracy to prolong my suspense, the weekend travellers had caused a gridlock on the highway. But this isn’t the first time we’re passing through this route. I wondered.

When we finally reached our destination, I fronted the team. Tayo had suggested that we all meet at an eatery but I’d objected. “I would be better if we met at Mrs Okafor’s house. She may have one or two motherly pieces of advice to give.” I had said, partly because it was true, and also because I would get to see the one my heart longed for. Everyone had consented to my advice.

Maria watched me with suspicion as I made all the moves and I knew if asked, she could tell that something was fishy. Continue reading →

The day started like all other days. Mrs Okafor had sent her home address the previous night, and we prepared to go see her. Since the new semester started, I’ve been usually less busy on Wednesdays. My project supervisor gave me the day off so I could gather resources for my research work. I was learning quite a lot by observing Mrs Okafo. Although I might have mentioned it in passing that I was a student of psychology, we hadn’t had time to talk about my career exhaustively. Perhaps, this would be my opportunity to relate with her on a professional level.

Should anyone question my presence, I had a ready defense: ‘If Mrs Okafor regarded Tolani and Tayo as family, then I was family too. Tayo had referred to me as his brother when he needed my help. If Tayo was a brother to me, and a family member to Mrs Okafor, then I was Mrs Okafor’s family too.’ The logic looked sound to me. Fallacy of whatever! Continue reading →